Latch



Oct. 18, 1949. o. c. SARE 2,484,964

LATCH Filed Jan. 4., 1946 Flc. 1.l 4 Flc. 2.

Patented Oct. 18, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE' LATCH Otto C. Sare, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application January 4, 1946, Serial No. 638,940 1 claim. (cl. 292-237) This invention relates to door latches and holders for swinging doors of the variety commonly used more particularly on garages, barns, warehouses or other similar structures. The principal purpose of the invention is to provide a device of this class which is positive in operation and at the same time simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is to so arrange the several parts of my device as to enable it to serve as a supporting holder for a door when the same is closed and to serve likewise when the door is opened.

The accompanying drawings are illustrative of a practical but non-limiting exemplication of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a form of the device attached to the upper front corner of the inside of a door, said door being in locked position.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-section and side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 shows the device in use on the outside of a door, its position in this instance being near the bottom front edge of the said door.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the latch member and a portion of its operating means.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2, a section of the door is indicated at I. When the device is used on a pair of double doors to latch of the other door, and thus prevents opening of the latter. The upper span of the door frame or header is shown at 2 and has secured thereto the usual door-stop molding 3. Bolted to the header. as shown for example, through the stop molding, is a substantially U-shaped keeper 4. Bolted to the inside of the door is a bracket shown at 5 which is bent inwardly at right angle at its lower end, as at 6. A circular aperture is formed in the inturned part 6. The upper part of the bracket 5 is also bent inwardly to form an arm 1 which extends horizontally for a distance and is then bent slightly upward, and, from the lastnamed point of deilection, has a longitudinal slot running centrally through it to its extremity, thus forming a pair of parallel arms, or bifurcations, 8 which terminate in slightly enlarged, rounded outer end portions 9. Horizontally aligned openings I in' the rounded portions are designed to receive a hinge pin II on which a latch member I2 is pivotally mounted.

Secured to the door at a point below the lower end of the bracket 5 and in vertical alignment therewith is a second bracket I3, which is of the simple L-type and has in its horizontal leg a circular aperture similar to the one in the inturned part 6 of the bracket 5 and in direct vertical alignment therewith. A rod I4 is insertedthrough the apertures in the members 5 and I3 and has formed at its lower extremity a knob or ball by which the rod may be grasped for operation. The upper extremity of the rod projecting above the portion 6 is threaded to receive a bifurcated yoke I5, the arms of which extend upwardly and straddle the upper arm 1 of the bracket 5 and are pivotally attached at their upper extremities to the latch member I2.

The brackets 5 and I3 are attached to the door in such position that when the said door is closed the arm 'I will extend through the keeper 4 and rest firmly thereon, thereby acting as a support for the door to prevent it from sagging, as well as releasably holding it in its closed position. As readily seen in Figure 2, the latch member I2 is reduced in width midway of its length, thus forming an end-shouldered, bottom-inclined plate portion or tongue I 6. In closing the door, the inclined under side of the tongue will contact the near side of the keeper 4, and thereby rocking upon the hinge pin II, the latch member will be lifted until the free end of the tongue has cleared the far side of the said keeper. The latch will then drop by gravity with the end shoulder of the tongue in engagement with the keeper, thus locking the door by preventing the withdrawal of the latch from the keeper.

To unlatch the door, upward pressure is applied to the knob or ball at the lower extremity of the rod I4 which forces the said rod upward and lifts the latch member I2 until the end shoulder of the tongue is once more above the keeper, whereupon the door is free to be swung open. It will be seen that the threaded end of rod I4 contacts the under side of arm 'I when the latch is actuated thus limiting pivotal movement of the latch. The threaded rod end may be advanced or retracted relative to the yoke member I5 for adjusting such pivotal movement.

In Figure 3 I have shown my device in use to secure the bottom of a door. When so used, the arrangement of the brackets 5 and I3 is reversed and the arm 'I is bent oppositely to that shown in Figure 2. The keeper 4 is attached to the door sill I8 or directly to the oor proper close to the door opening instead of to the header, and the position of the latch I2 will be above rather than 3 through the keeper 4. A pin I'I is set in the rod I4 and will Contact the part 6 of the bracket 5 to limit the upward movement of the said rod when it is lifted to release the 1atch from contact with the keeper.

It is here noted that, in the use of the device as illustrated in Figure 3, it'has the effect of supporting the door against sagging in its closed position substantially the same as in its use as illustrated in Figure 2.

It is further noted that the device of the present invention is usable to hold a door in its opened position, in which use the device is to -beapplied to the outer face of the door and the,

keeper element 4 secured on an outside positioned post or other suitable supportagainst or closely adjacent to which the door is moved in its opened position, In this particular modification in the use of the invention, the holdin-g device will be located ata relatively high elevation or adjacent the low-er edge of the door, or even .at some intermediate elevation on the door.

It is still further noted that, in the application of thedeVice-to the upper portion of the door, as exemplified in Figure 2, in some cases the lower leg ofthe bracket 5 and the still lower associated bracket member I3 may be eliminated, inasmuch astherod I4 will hang pendent from the pivotal attachment thereof to the latch member I2. However, in the lower application of the device to the door, as shown in Figure 3, at least one of the elements 6 or I3,may be eliminated, but the other should remain to aord a support to maintain the rod IllA in an erect position and slidable through the support. So, too, in some cases, the pivotal connector element I5 may be a plain single link member instead of a bifurcated yoke as shown. Moreover, the entire construction and arrangement of the device may be varied in other particulars within the purview of the'invention as dened'in the appended claim.

Having now rdescribed my invention, what I claim is:

In a latchng device adapted to engage a U-shaped keeper dependingly supported from the top of a door and spaced froma door, a supporting bracket adapted to be arranged intabutting relation with said door and xedly secured to the '4 latter, a horizontally disposed arm positioned adjacent the upper end of said bracket and having one end xedly secured to the latter, said arm normally extending through said keeper and having a longitudinal slot extending inwardly from the free end thereof, a latch member positioned in aligned relation with respect to the longitudinal slot in said arm and having one end mounted on the other end of said arm for swingingmovement about a horizontal axis, said latch member having a detent dependingly supported intermediate its ends, said detent normally extending through said slot and being adapted to engage the bight portion of the U-shaped keeper, and hand actuable means carried by-the other end of said latch member for. rotating the latter whereby said detent is brought out of engaging relation with the keeper, said last named means comprising a vertically disposed rod arranged in parallel spaced relation with respect tosaid bracketand mountedY for slidable movement inthe latter, a U-shapedyoke positioned adjacent the upper end of saidrod and having its bight portion flxedly secured'to the latter, the-legs of; said yoke extending `upward and .surrounding said armand said latching member, and means extending through the ends of said legs and theother endof said latching member for pivotally connecting saidother, end of -said latch member to :said-yoke.

OTTO C. SARE;

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesarei of' recordy in the le of this patent:

UNITED STA'I'ES'PATEN'IS Number Namey Date 209,702 Metz Nov. 5', 1378 390,645 Booth Oct. 9, `1888 952,029 Chambers-. Mar. 15, 1910 1,582,561 Vandrey .Apr. 27, 1926 1,629,379 Dudas- May, 17,1927

2,378,119 Arthur June 12, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 348,932 GreatY Britain- May21, 1931 

